The roots of the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions began in 1873 with the appointment of a Catholic Commissioner for Indian Missions. The purpose of that office, which was organized the following year as the Office of the Catholic Commissioner for Indian Missions and later renamed the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions, was to protect, promote, and administer the interests of the Catholic Church with respect to missions and evangelization among the Native Americans in the United States. In so doing, it advocated for and raised funds for Catholic missions and related Native American social and cultural issues in general.

Notable People: Officers and personnel of the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions plus allied fund raising raising organizations.

Notable Events: Notable events regarding the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions and Catholic evangelization of Native Americans in the present-day United States.

Notable Missions: Notable Native American Catholic missions, parishes and schools in the present-day United States.

Notable Missions, Parishes and Schools

These missions, parishes, and schools received assistance from the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions and funding from the Commission for the Catholic Missions Among the Colored People and the Indians. The entry numbers indicate related entries in the Guides to Catholic-Related Records for the United States about Native Americans which identify additional sources of archival documentation and significant historical events and people relating to the records. Also see the Master Index to the guides. Catholic and Native groups are described according to Library of Congress subject headings. Some defunct institutions lack a primary entry number.